Daydream Believer
by Pamalam
Summary: The mission had been boring and muddy. All Sam wanted to do was go home and take a shower.
1. Chapter 1

DAYDREAM BELIEVER

The mission to P2X-325 had been a disastrous waste of time for SG -1. The inhabitants turned out to be technologically challenged – to put it nicely. And there was not enough naquadah left in the mines to make it feasible to send in an engineering team. It didn't help the that the heavens opened up and rain started pouring down as they made their way back to the Stargate. They were too far away from the village to turn around so Col. O'Neill made the decision to continue the hike to the Gate. It should have only taken them 45 minutes to an hour to complete the trip, but he didn't realize how quickly the trail would become a quagmire that sucked at their boots with each step they took.

They were well into the second hour of the trek when Sam stumbled. Col. O'Neill reached out to grab her arm just as Daniel tripped in front of her. As a result all three went down hard. The colonel wasn't hurt, but Daniel sprained his ankle and Sam pulled a muscle in her back. Fortunately, they were close to the Stargate and managed to limp through, with Teal'c supporting Daniel and the Colonel hovering near Sam's elbow.

Gen. Hammond took one look at them and sent them to the showers and the post mission medical checkup. They would debrief at 0900 tomorrow. As a result, Sam now stood in the shower, letting the hot water pour over her sore muscles. She would love to take her time but the guys were waiting their turn. So she quickly finished her shower deciding to complete the rest of her shower regimen at home.

Only Daniel and the colonel were waiting outside the locker room. Since Teal'c had not fallen in the mud, he went to the infirmary to be checked out by Dr. Fraiser. Sam gave them a smile as she headed upstairs for the medical checkup.

As she walked away, she heard Col. O'Neill grumble "Damn, Carter, did you leave any hot water for us?"

"Sir, I was only in the shower for 5 minutes."

"That was 2 minutes too long." And with that comment he stomped into the locker room, leaving Daniel looking at her with a shrug. The Colonel had been in a bad mood lately and it didn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

Sam headed up to the infirmary and was pleased that Janet released her with orders to use heat on the strained muscle and take Ibuprofen as needed. That fit her plans for a long hot shower perfectly.

At home, Sam began taking off her clothes as soon as she was inside her door. She could not wait to wash her hair and stand under a stream of hot water. She gathered her favorite soap, sugar scrub, and body butter. They had been birthday presents last year from the rest of the team. It was meant as a joke – the name was Valhalla. It reminded them of their favorite little gray alien, Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard. However, Sam loved the patchouli scent and continued to purchase it from the little soap shop.

In the shower, she washed her hair and then lathered her body with the pleasantly scented soap. She stood under the hot spray of the shower to rinse her hair and body. It was also soothing to her sore muscles. Finally, she moved away from the relaxing spray and reached for the sugar scrub in preparation for shaving her legs.

Then she stopped. Why did she spend so much time ensuring her legs were smooth and soft? It's not as if the man she wanted to notice their softness would ever see her as anything other than a member of his team.

Sure there had been a little flirting. He said he liked women. And there was that comment about the hated blue dress. And how could she forget that hug when they thought Daniel had died. Then there was the incident in the ice cave with his side arm. She couldn't help but grin as she remembered that event, even though it wasn't much fun at the time. But in the last year or two those moments had become few and far between. It seemed as if he didn't see her as anything but one of the guys. Out in the field that was a good thing but she missed his sly glances and sexy smirks around the SGC. Sam didn't know what changed but something had.

Consequently, her dream of Col. O'Neill noticing her soft skin or silky legs was just about as likely as her blowing up a sun. So tonight she would skip all the skin softening regimens and go straight to bed.

As she reached to turn off the shower faucet, the shower door opened and there stood the man himself. Col. O'Neill was in her bathroom, barefoot, dressed in a black t-shirt and dark jeans. Before she could open her mouth, he had stepped into the shower pushing her back against the wall. His mouth came down on hers cutting off any chance of her speaking. His tongue was demanding entrance to her mouth. Damn, she knew that man could kiss.

When they finally broke for air, she opened her mouth to ask what he was doing there. But he put his finger on her mouth in a shushing motion. He then sat down on the shower bench. He reached down and lifted her right leg, placing her foot on the bench beside him. He looked her in the eyes, then lowered his head and began to kiss his way up her inner thigh as he ran his hand up her…...razor stubbled leg? WHAT?

Well, that was an abrupt ending to a wonderful daydream. Sam thought "This is what happens when you don't shave your legs". With that in mind, she picked up her sugar scrub to exfoliate in preparation for a close shave. When she finished, she stepped outside the shower and partially dried off. She applied the luxurious body butter all over her damp body paying special attention to her legs.

She vowed never to be caught with razor stubbled legs again. Who knows, one day her daydream could come true.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N This was meant to be a one shot but the muse started daydreaming again. Still marked complete as each chapter can stand on its on.

Sam reflected on the events of the last 3 months as she walked up the steps to her home. Colonel O'Neill had been stranded on Edora when the "fire rain" buried the Stargate. Sam had spent all her energy and knowledge into discovering a way to break through the artificial iris of the Edoran Stargate. She had spent numerous hours, including many late nights working on the particle beam generator- So much so that Janet was concerned for her. In fact, Janet had even threatened to remove her from duty if she didn't get some rest. However, even when she was supposedly resting, her brain was still working on solving the problem.

It had all been worth it. At last, she had been able to construct the particle beam generator and it was successful in breaking through the barrier on the Edoran Stargate. Teal'c had volunteered to tunnel through to the surface and had been able to contact Colonel O'Neill.

It had been several days before the Colonel, Teal'c and the men of the village had been able to excavate the Stargate and dial home again. Sam had spent many anxious days and nights at the SGC. She wouldn't leave for fear of missing their return.

They were able to send an engineering team through to raise the Stargate and get the DHD to working again. Sam was so happy at the thought of seeing the colonel again that she forgot how tired she was. The Edorans who had temporarily been stranded on earth were excited to be returning also. Sam, along with Daniel, was eager to see the rest of SG-1.

Who was she kidding; Sam was eager to see the Colonel again. However, it didn't appear that Colonel O'Neill felt the same way. In fact, he didn't appear eager to return home at all. It appeared that the Colonel and Laira had become close and he didn't give the impression that he was ready to return home-at least not without Laira. Sam was hopeful that her expression didn't give her away when she overheard the Colonel ask Laira to come home with her. But she was too tired to really care at the time.

Sam turned her thoughts back to the present and noticed how neglected her house looked. She had rarely been home during all this time. Her few house plants were dead or dying. The air inside the house smelled stale and musty. She would worry about that later. All she could think about now was how wonderful a long, hot bath would feel.

As the water was filling for her bath, she remembered her last purchase at the soap shop she had discovered. The shop owner had created a new scent –lavender chamomile. Sam thought that sounded relaxing and she certainly needed some relaxation in her job. So she bought one of everything in that scent, including the bath fizzies. She rarely took baths but she did enjoy a nice long soak occasionally. When the bath was ready, she dropped in one of the fizzies and stepped into the water. It felt so good that she might stay there all night. The hot water along with the herbal scent of the fizzy was incredibly relaxing and she found herself getting drowsy.

She shook herself mentally and finished her bath routine, which included shaving her legs. She almost skipped that part of her practice, even though she remembered her promise never to be caught with unshaven legs again. While she still dreamed of a time when she and Colonel O'Neil could be together, that was looking more and more like a pipe dream. Even if the Air Force wasn't an issue, he seemed more interested in Laira than her. Nevertheless, she had made a commitment to herself, so she finished shaving her legs and stepped out of the tub, dried off with a soft towel, and applied moisturizer all over her body.

As she put on her blue striped pajamas with the blue tank top, the rest of the evening stretched out before her. For once, in the last 3 months, she had nothing to do. Even though the bath had relaxed her, she wasn't quite ready to go to bed. For one thing, her mind was still dwelling on Colonel O'Neill's reaction to his rescue. Maybe a glass of wine would be the final thing to help her relax this evening.

Jack drove up to Carter's house, wondering what he was doing there. He was so glad to be back on earth. He had not expected to be back so soon. With the Stargate buried on Edora, he expected to be stranded there until one of their allies could send a ship his way. From past experience, he knew that could take some time. However, Carter had come through and pulled a solution out of her six…er, her head. And from what he'd been told, it wasn't any ordinary solution either. That was not surprising. He had, long ago, ceased to be amazed by her brilliance. At least he had thought so, until Daniel had told him that not only had she conceived of the answer, she had invented to the apparatus need to achieve that solution.

As Jack got out of his truck, he remembered how Daniel had appeared to be perturbed that Jack had not shown more gratitude for his rescue. "One would think you weren't pleased to be rescued." had been his exact words.

"Just what would 'one' presume to know about how I feel about it?" Jack responded sarcastically, as he walked to the infirmary for his medical exam.

Then, during his physical, Janet noted that he seemed to be in excellent shape after his time on Edora. "It wasn't exactly a vacation Doc. A lot of hard work was involved-rebuilding homes and planting crops. I had lots of opportunity to retain my 'exceptional´ shape," Jack smirked.

Sam worked hard also," Janet informed him. "In fact, I had to threaten her with medical leave if she didn't get some rest."

"Doc, we all know that Carter is famous for working late hours."

Janet glared at him. "This wasn't just late nights. It was several 'all nighters'. Didn't you notice how tired she looked when she came through the Stargate?"

Jack realized that he hadn't noticed. As glad as he was to see Carter, he was so excited to be going home that he hadn't noticed her weariness. Then there was the complication of Laira. He was aware that there could still be consequences to that relationship and if there were….well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

So now that he was knocking on Carter's door, he was wondering just what he was doing there. It was late; Carter was probably in bed already. He turned around to leave, just as Sam opened the door with a glass of wine in her hand.

They each stood there staring at each other without saying anything. Sam was so tired that she wasn't sure he was really there, while Jack was mesmerized by how hot Carter looked standing there in her pajamas.

Jack was the first to recover. "Got any more of that?' he asked, motioning toward the glass.

Sam continued to stare at him for a beat, "Uh, yeah, Sir. Are you sure you want wine?"

"I'd rather have a beer if you have it."

Sam motioned for him to come in and directed him to the living room sofa while she went to the kitchen for his beer. When she handed it to him, Jack looked at her inquiringly. "Guinness? Didn't think it was your brand, Carter."

"It's not, I keep it for….Sam hesitated and looked down.

"For whom?"

"You" Sam confessed softly.

"Me?" Jack was surprised.

"Yes" Then she hurriedly added "In case you should drop by with the guys, you know. I keep Daniel's favorite coffee and ginger ale for Teal'c."

As Carter moved about the room, Jack began to notice how loose her clothes were. The pajama bottoms were hanging around her hips and the tank top was falling off her shoulder. He was sure she didn't buy her clothes a size larger like he did. Damn, not only had she worked incessantly, it was evident she had forgotten to eat regularly also. No wonder Janet was concerned.

Sam sat down with her back leaning against the arm of the couch, tucked her right leg under her left, and faced the colonel. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

Jack was taken aback. Carter was not usually so direct with him. "Janet told me how hard you worked to get the Edoran people, and me, back home. I realized I might have seemed less than grateful about it. I didn't want you the think that I wasn't happy to be home."

"Are you, Sir?" Sam asked quietly.

"Am I what?"

"Happy to be home?"

Jack was stunned. "Carter, what makes you think I wouldn't be happy to be home?"

"You seemed reluctant to leave. You had made close friends there."

Jack took a deep breath. "It was hard not to make good friends when there were so few people left on Edora. We had to work together to recover after the fire rain. However, that didn't stop me from wanting to return to my life and my friends here. On Edora, there was no one like Daniel whom I could tease." Jack smiled. "Or anyone to confuse me with technobabble."

That brought a smile to Sam's face until she remembered how he had walked away during her "technobabble" explanation of the particle beam generator.

Jack was glad he could make her smile but then he saw the smile fade. "What's going on in the brain of yours, Carter?"

"Nothing. I guess I'm just tired." Sam couldn't tell him how much it had hurt for him to turn away from her at that time.

Jack had a good idea what was going through Carter's mind. He wasn't as clueless as he liked people to think. He looked at Carter sitting across from him. She was trying to cover a yawn. It was evident that she was tired. He really ought to leave. Still, he hadn't said all he came to say. He was much better with actions than words so he reached toward her and said "C'mere"

Sam looked at him dubiously. Jack motioned with his hand and his head and repeated "C'mere"

Sam wanted so badly just to lay her head on his shoulder and rest. After all, it was just two friends who were glad to see one another again, right? Making her decision, Sam moved close to the colonel. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she quietly laid her head on his shoulder. She fit under his arm as if she were made for him. It felt so right. Maybe he was glad to be home after all.

She was getting quite sleepy. The glass of wine had totally relaxed her. She really should get up and send the colonel home so they both could get some rest. Still, just a few more minutes would not hurt anything, would it?

Sam felt the colonel place a light kiss in her hair. She turned her head to get more comfortable and she called him Sir as her lips lightly grazed his neck. She heard a light moan from him. Holy Hannah, what was she doing? This is her CO. She pulled away, but he would not let her go. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted it toward him. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips. She heard another moan and realized this time it came from her. She felt his tongue sweep over her lips and she opened her mouth and allowed him in. He leaned her back on the couch and began to kiss down her neck and across her shoulder where her tank top fell away. His lips were setting her on fire. She wanted, no, she needed, more.

Sam pulled the colonel's shirt from his pants, reached under his shirt and began to caress his back. She had wanted to do that so many times. The Colonel- no it was Jack – she couldn't call him colonel when his lips were moving from her shoulder down toward the valley between her breasts. He was hovering over her with one hand in her hair and the other moving to caress her breasts. She needed more contact so she pulled him down to her and moved her legs to stretch out on the couch. In doing so, their legs became entangled and they ended up falling off the couch…

Sam groaned as she hit her head on the coffee table. What was she doing on the floor wrapped in a blanket? She must have fallen asleep on the couch after that glass of wine. Wait, hadn't the colonel been here? She remembered letting him in, getting him a beer and talking to him about Edora. Then she had laid her head on his shoulder and…. Holy Hannah, had she been making out with her CO? No way. It must have been a dream- she had sat down with a glass of wine and relaxed so completely that she fell asleep on the couch. But where did the blanket come from? She remembered putting it in the hall closet the last time she straightened up the living room. She must have taken it out of the closet when she went to the kitchen for her wine. She was too tired to remember.

She would be like Scarlett O'Hara and think about it tomorrow. Right now all she wanted to do was go to bed and go back to sleep. She picked up and folded the blanket, leaving it on the couch and then picked up the wine glass to put in the dishwasher. As she was walking to the kitchen, she thought about her dream. Yeah, it was a dream. There was no way Colonel O'Neill would have come by her house tonight. Not after just getting home from 3 months off world. Moreover, he certainly would not have made out with her on the couch like two teenagers. She laughed to herself at the thought of that.

She put the wine glass in the dishwasher and turned the light off as she passed the recycle bin. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned the light back on. In the almost empty glass recycle bin, was Guinness bottle – the beer she bought only for the colonel.


	3. Chapter 3 A Lighter Shade of Gray

A/N Thanks to KTSmiles and LeeLee for their beta work on this chapter. Any errors remaining are mine.

*See more notes at the end of the chapter.

Sam does not cry easily. In fact, the only time she has cried since her mother's funeral, had been two and a half years ago when they thought Daniel had died. After her mother's death, her dad had not know how to raise a teenage girl. He had treated her in the same way as he did Mark, and taught them both the family mantra—Carters don't cry.

That lesson has served her well in the military. She has held herself to a higher standard to gain respect from her fellow airmen. Crying is not "done in the military". Sam has always tried to be more stoic and emotionally stronger than her male counterparts.

However, today the tears were threatening to spilling down her cheeks. Her recent encounter with Colonel O'Neill precipitated the tears, but she managed to escape to her lab before they began to fall. Now sitting in her darkened laboratory, as she angrily wiped her tears away, she remembered her conversation with the Colonel after the Tollana Incident. She had run into the Colonel in the corridor of the SGC as he left the Infirmary.

" _Carter," he acknowledged her presence._

" _Sir?"_

" _What!?" O'Neill grumbled as he turned to face her._

" _She hesitated, as his look of disdain and impatience intimidated her. Then she asked hopefully, "Is there anything I can do?"_

" _About?"_

 _Sam took a deep breath and said, "Well, Sir, with respect, you weren't exactly acting like yourself."_

 _Then came the hurtful words. "No, Carter. I haven't been acting like myself since I met you._ _ **Now**_ _, I'm acting like myself." With that, he abruptly turned and walked away._

She began to think about the last few weeks. She had been quite emotional lately. Admittedly, she had worked hard trying to find a way to bring Colonel O'Neill home from Edora. She would acknowledge, if only to herself, to being exhausted. In addition, there was that dream where the Colonel had come by her house after his return from Edora. At least, she had convinced herself that it had been a dream. Still, she did not have a convincing explanation of how the empty Guinness bottle had appeared in her recycling bin.

Maybe that was part of her problem. She was allowing herself to daydream about the Colonel too often. She knew that was dangerous, considering their ranks and working relationship, especially, since some of the daydreams had seemed so real. Just look where it had gotten her – sitting in her lab in the dark and in tears.

That stopped now! The time for tears and emotional outbreaks was over. She had always examined things logically and rationally and logic dictated that the Colonel was not acting rationally. There was no way the man she had served with the last two and a half years would be so cruel. Despite what he had said, she knew he was not himself. She could not have misjudged him so badly. Something was going on and she was determined to find out what it was.

She got up from her chair, and prepared to leave her lab just as there was a knock on her lab door. She made sure there were no signs of tears on her face and opened the door to find Daniel and Teal'c standing there.

"Hi, guys," she said brightly.

Daniel eyed her closely. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Yes, Daniel, I'm fine."

Teal'c tilted his head to the side and asked, "Were you conducting an experiment in the absence of light, Major Carter?"

"No, why? Oh the darkness—Uh, I was just closing my lab for the day," she stammered. "What are you guys doing?"

Daniel looked at her. "You haven't heard the news?"

Sam shook her head. "What news?"

Daniel hesitated. He didn't know how Sam would react. "Jack just retired."

Sam could not believe her ears. "No, he can't! Why would he do that?"

"General Hammond gave him the choice of court martial or retirement," Daniel explained.

Sam was frantic, "This isn't right. Daniel, you need to go talk to him."

"I'm afraid O'Neill has already left the facility, Major Carter," Teal'c replied.

"Before you say anything, I've tried calling him and he won't pick up. I've left three messages already," Daniel added.

"Daniel, one of us has to talk to him. There is something wrong."

"Then, why don't you try to talk to him, Sam. He usually listens to you. When you aren't speaking technobabble, anyway." Daniel tried for a little levity to lighten the situation.

Sam thought back to her last attempt at conversation with the Colonel. "No, Daniel, he has firmly expressed his opinion to me. He is not going to listen to me."

Daniel and Sam both turned to look at Teal'c.

"I do not believe it is in O'Neill's best interest that I interfere in his decision." Teal'c responded in answer to their inquiring appeals.

"Then let's draw straws," said Daniel.

"What is this 'drawing of straws' of which you speak, Daniel Jackson?"

Sam explained it to Teal'c and they agreed that was a good idea. She prepared three straws, Teal'c drew first; then Daniel, with Sam getting the last straw. When they compared straws, Daniel had drawn the short one.

"Two out of three," he begged to no avail.

"No, this is what we agreed." Sam was firm. "Call us when you have news. I will be at home all weekend."

"Okay, But I'm not going tonight. Tomorrow morning will be better. He will have had time to think things over."

Sam concurred and added, "But do it early, before he has a chance to leave town. He may decide to go to his cabin."

Sam tossed and turned all night. She kept thinking about the Colonel and why he would have acted as he had. Even though she knew there was a dark side to him that she had not seen, she did not understand what could have precipitated his out of character actions against the Tollans.

Finding no answers for her questions, she decided to get up and go for a run. That usually helped her when she was having difficulties solving a problem – particularly early in the morning as the sun was just coming up. She loved this time of the day, when everything was fresh and new. She always had a better outlook on her problems in the morning.

She donned her running clothes and shoes – grabbed a bottle of water, her keys, and her phone. Sam enjoyed being outside, given that so much of her life involved working deep inside a mountain – especially lately. She ran, not thinking about anything, just enjoying the exhilaration the exercise gave her. After approximately thirty minutes, she decide to turn back toward home. She still had no answers to her earlier questions, but the endorphins released by the exercise made her feel better.

When she returned home, she decided to take a shower. She wanted to take a quick shower, so she reached for the Valhalla shower gel to use this time. That, and a shower pouf made for a speedy military style shower. Exiting the shower, she dried off with a fluffy towel and applied her moisturizer.

She was towel drying her hair as she walked to the kitchen to prepare some coffee. Just when the coffee was finished brewing, her doorbell rang. When she opened the door, there stood Daniel, looking decidedly dejected.

"Come in Daniel, I've got coffee on. You want anything else?" Sam asked as she led Daniel back to the kitchen.

"No, just coffee and lots of it."

As he sat down at the bar, Sam placed a cup of coffee in front of him. She sat down with a bran muffin and a cup of coffee. Daniel looked at the muffin hungrily. "A muffin might be good, after all," he said.

Sam heated another muffin and placed it before him. He nodded his thanks and kept drinking the coffee. She allowed him to eat the muffin and then poured him another cup of coffee before asking any questions.

Finally, she said, "I take it the talk didn't go so well."

"That is an understatement, Sam. The nicest thing he said was that I couldn't relate to him anymore than he could relate to me."

"Daniel, that doesn't make sense. You and Colonel O'Neill have been friends for a long time."

"That's what I thought, but when I asked him about the friendship, his comment was, 'Apparently not much of a foundation there, huh?'"

"What did you say?"

"At that point, I was speechless." At Sam's look of disbelief, Daniel laughed bitterly and said, "I know – me, speechless – who would every think it possible.? Yet, it's true. At that point, I just picked up my jacket and left."

"Then there seems to be nothing left for us to do." Sam shook her head sadly.

"Sam, are you sure you can't talk to him?"

"No, I've tried," Sam said. She told Daniel about her encounter with the Colonel at the SGC. Just remembering the look in his eyes made her shudder. She told Daniel that his words were cruel, but the way he spoke and the look in his eyes hurt more.

Before Daniel could reply, Sam's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID in hopes of it being Colonel O'Neill. Her face dropped – she showed the phone to Daniel. It was the SGC.

"Carter', she answered. She listened for a bit and then replied, "Yes Sir, I'll be there in thirty minutes."

She looked at Daniel. "Siler is having a problem with one of the gate diagnostics and General Hammond has asked me to come in and help."

Daniel said. "I'll follow you in, There are some translations I need to work on. Maybe it will take my mind off Jack."

Sam walked into her house hours later. It had taken longer than she expected to mend the problem with the gate. As tiring as it had been, she was thankful that it kept her busy, She had not thought about the Colonel once during that entire time. However, now that she was home, her mind began to dwell on that last conversation she had with him, as well as Daniel's discussion with him.

She was too exhausted to make any sense of it whatsoever. Instead, she chose to pour a glass of wine, go to bed, and read one of her romance novels. She would never live it down if the guys found out about her guilty pleasure. She picked up the one she had started reading. On the cover, the bare-chested hero, with his long hair flying in the wind, was riding a horse as he reached down for the full-bosomed heroine.

She laughed. If only her life could go the way of a romance novel. Except her hero would have short, silver gray hair, and drive a big green truck. As she read, she began to get sleepy. She put the glass of wine on the bedside table along with the book and turned off the light.

Her last thoughts before falling asleep were of that silver-haired hero in a green truck…

Sam heard a noise in her bedroom. Before she could react, a hand was clamped over her mouth, and she heard someone say, "Carter." When she opened her eyes, Colonel O'Neill was kneeling by her bed.

"Sir, what are you doing here? And how did you get in?" She asked, as soon as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"I'm retired, Carter. You don't have to call me Sir any more—and I was Black Ops, remember?"

"Of course, Sir," The honorific was habit. "Still, **what** are you doing here?"

Jack ran his hand through his hair. "I need to explain why I said what I did to you yesterday."

Sam sat up in the bed and scooted back against the headboard. She was trying to shake off the grogginess from being awakened so suddenly. Colonel O'Neill almost sounded like he was apologizing and he didn't do that often. "But wouldn't a phone call have been easier than breaking into my house in the middle of the night?"

"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure my phone and my house are bugged. This was my only option to speak to you without someone listening in."

Sam was truly confused now. "Why would your phone and house be bugged?"

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and explained. "General Hammond has me on a special mission and no one - I mean no one – is supposed to know about it. I'm breaking all sorts of orders by being here right now. But between hurting you yesterday, and Daniel today, I had to let you know what's going on."

Jack stopped and looked as if he might not say anymore, so Sam prompted, "And that would be…"

"Ah. There's the problem. I can't really tell you. I just need you to trust me. And to believe that I don't mean to hurt you or Daniel."

"I do trust you, Sir. I wish you believed in me enough to tell me what's going on."

Jack rubbed his hand over his face. "I do, but there are some orders even I can't break."He could see the confusion still in her eyes. "Carter, you can't tell anyone what I've just told you."

"Not even Daniel or Teal'c?"

Jack grimaced. "Especially not Daniel. You know how he talks. Teal'c wouldn't say anything, but, still, no."

Sam understood. She was just glad he had told her what was going on. It explained much of what had happened lately.

"Thanks for telling me, Colonel. It means a lot. Sam started to get out of bed. "Can I get you a drink or anything?"

"No I can't stay. I should be going before someone checks my house and finds me missing."

Sam didn't say anything as she just looked at him. Jack started to get up, but something in Sam's eyes was compelling him to stay. He made up his mind. It wouldn't hurt to stay for just a little while. He took off his jacket and hung it on a chair. "Move over," he said.

Sam blinked. She wasn't' sure she heard him correctly. "Huh?"

"Move over." Jack repeated.

Sam scooted over and he stretched out on top of the bed covers. He put his arm around her and pulled her close, placing a soft kiss in her hair. "I will stay for awhile, but no more talk. You go back to sleep. Just remember – everything you hear and see in the next few weeks may not be what it appears to be."

Sam snuggled into his side and happily hummed as she fell asleep.

Sam slowly woke up the next morning remembering her dream of her silver-haired hero. She recalled how he snuggled with her in bed. And how he told her of the special mission he had been assigned.

She sat up in bed. No. No. No! She was dreaming of her CO again. Hadn't she decided not to indulge in dreams of him again. Yet, if only that dream had been true. She remembered how he had told her not to believe everything she saw and heard. She would really like for that to be true. She didn't want to lose him as her CO. Even more, she didn't want to lose his friendship.

However, that didn't seem to be an option. From what the Colonel had said to both her and Daniel, he had never considered them friends. That hurt, but she had Daniel, Teal'c, and her career. Those were the important fundamentals in her life. From now on, Colonel O'Neill would be nothing to her but a former commanding officer. She would move forward and not dwell on the "what ifs" of her life.

With that resolution, Sam got out of bed and walked across the room. "Ouch", she exclaimed, as her bare foot hit a sharp metallic object of the floor. She bent over and picked it up. It was a large zipper pull exactly like those on the Colonel's brown leather jacket. The jacket he had on in her dream…

*All the bath products mentioned in the story are actual products I use. They are from a lovely little company called LillaSyster Soap Company. You can find them online at .com


	4. Chapter 4 Whatever Happens in Vegas

Sam was sitting at the campsite on P3X-234 watching Colonel O'Neill do something she'd never seen him do before –he was fishing in the nearby lake. How ironic, that just before this whole mission (if you could call it a mission) began; he was asking her to go fishing at his cabin in Minnesota. She had turned him down, electing to study the decay rates of Naquadah in the reactor. At least, that was the reason she had given him.

Sam remembered the moment that she decided fishing in Minnesota would be more relaxing that working on the Naquadah reactor. She had sprinted out of the lab to tell Colonel O'Neill that she had changed her mind. However, as she began to utter those words, she couldn't do it. Instead, she just told him to have a good time. That was when Thor beamed him up to the Biliskner and their experience with the replicators had begun.

Their escape from the Biliskner had been close. Sam's plan of beaming up the gate from the SGC was born of desperation. The replicators had overrun the Asgard transporter effectively negating its use. When she told Colonel O'Neill of her plan to transport the Stargate to the Biliskner, and use that as a means of escape, he smiled and said, "Once again, Carter, you've pulled a brilliant solution out of your ass- er-your head."

They had to time their escape perfectly so that the replicators could not stop the uncontrolled descent of the ship. If the tone of his voice was any indication, the Colonel was getting anxious to leave the ship and the bugs behind. He kept asking, "Isn't it time to blow the bomb?"

Sam was not very fond of the replicators either. They were too much like spiders. She was not afraid of many things, but she had been terrified of spiders as a child and still was. That was thanks to her brother, Mark, who delighted in surprising his sister with spiders, both alive and dead, at unsuspected times. As an officer in the Air Force, she had faced much more frightening things than spiders, but she still had an aversion to them.

At just the right moment, Teal'c had dialed the Stargate for P3X-234, and they were able to escape unharmed to the relatively obscure, peaceful little planet. At least, it didn't have Jaffa or Goa'uld chasing them. There were a few native inhabitants but they mostly left the newcomers alone. In any case, they were of no threat to them. In addition, the weather was nice this time of year. Although, how Colonel O'Neill had known that ahead of time, she had no idea.

Plus, there was this nice lake close to the Stargate. They set their camp up near the lake and the Stargate. Sam thought it would take the SGC a little while to get the beta Stargate up and running, so she knew they would be on P3X-234 for a few days. Since Colonel O'Neill always seemed to have fishing line in one of his many pockets, he was getting the fishing vacation he'd planned. He seemed content to fish in the small lake.

Sam was brewing some "coffee" from the bark of one of the trees. One of the local inhabitants had shown them how to do that. It wasn't Starbucks, but it was better than nothing.

She was enjoying watching the Colonel when he was unaware of her attention. She was glad he had something to entertain himself. Otherwise, the duty of entertaining him would have fallen to her. Hmmm, there were ways she would have liked to entertain him… OOPS not going there.

Thankfully, the coffee had just finished brewing and she stopped that train of thought to take the Colonel some coffee. She said, "So this is what you were inviting me to do before Thor beamed you away."

"Thanks, Carter," he replied, taking the cup from her. "Yes this is fishing. Although, I usually use a rod and reel to do it. Makes it a lot easier. Have you never fished, Carter?"

Sam reflected, "I did go fishing one time. As a young girl, I remember Dad taking us all on a fishing trip. I mostly recall it as sitting a long time without catching anything."

"Ah, Carter, see, it's not about the catching – it's about the fishing."

Sam laughed. "Sir, you sound just like Dad. He would tell me to be patient. And all the while, he was pulling in fish after fish. When I complained that I wasn't catching anything, he told me that I wasn't holding my mouth right. I can't tell you how long I sat there trying to make my mouth look just like his."

"I can just imagine Dad doing that." Jack snickered. "That's what fishing is about – making good memories."

Sam's watch beeped just then. "Oh that means it's time to try to dial the gate again," she said.

"Ok Carter, let's gather up Teal'c and see if the SGC has the old "Orifice" up and running."

As they walked toward the gate, Sam was wondering what was going on at the SGC. Sergeant Siler must have encountered some problems in getting the gate set up properly. This would be the third attempt to dial home. Surely, it would be operational today.

She so wanted a long hot bath with her favorite bath products. Although they had a lake in which to bath, they had no soap. Using sand from the beach was the best they could do. It helped but she knew she was beginning to "smell" and so were the Colonel and Teal'c. What she wouldn't give for some of her Spa Day soap from home.

"O'Neill. Major Carter." Teal'c greeted them at the Gate. "Perhaps the third attempt with prove to be the one that ultimately succeeds."

"Third time's the charm, Teal'c," grinned O'Neill.

Teal's eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch. "Is that not what I said?"

Sam ignored their byplay and continued to punch in the symbols on the DHD, depressing the center button after entering the last symbol. To their disappointment, the gate did not engage.

"So much for third time's the charm," said a frustrated Sam.

"It's not so bad, Carter. We get another day of vacation here on beautiful P3X whatever." Jack replied as he tried to coax a smile from her.

She was too disappointed to be distracted by the Colonel's antics this time. "I think I'll take a stroll around the lake for a while, Sir."

"Alright, but don't be gone too long. We are having a local delicacy for dinner tonight –fish steamed in leaves of a local tree."

That did manage to make her smile a little. "Right, Sir, I'll be back in time for dinner. Should I bring some wine?" She managed a little joke of her own.

"Carter, if you could find some wine on this forsaken planet, I'd kiss you." Jack replied in the same tone.

At that, Sam blushed furiously.

Teal'c chimed in. "I have seen no sign of fermented juice of a fruit on this planet."

That brought a groan from Jack and a laugh from Sam as she walked off.

As Sam walked around the lake, she thought about Colonel O'Neill's last comment. It brought to mind the dreams she had been having. She had dreamed that he visited her upon his return from Edora. She could feel her face begin to flush again just remembering that dream. Parts of it had been so realistic. She could almost feel his lips upon hers as he kissed her. Involuntarily, her fingers touched her lips as she remembered.

She knew she should not be having these kinds of feelings for him. The Air Force wouldn't look kindly at a romantic relationship between them. What was she thinking –the only relationship between them was that of CO and subordinate. Yet, sometimes she saw something in his eyes-something that hinted he might have more than professional feelings for her.

She pulled her hand away from her lips and hastily stuck it in the pocket of her BDU's. Her hand closed around a bit of metal. She pulled it out and began to turn it over in her hand as she continued to walk around the lake. She realized she was playing with the zipper tab she had found on the floor of her bedroom, immediately after her last dream of the Colonel. It was like the ones on his brown leather jacket, which he had on in that dream.

He had that jacket on again when he asked her to go fishing with him prior to being transported aboard the Biliskner. She had surreptitiously checked out all the zipper tabs on that jacket at the time. Unfortunately, for her, none was missing. She really had no clue where this one had come from.

She shivered. It was beginning to get cooler. She had been walking for some time. It was time to start back. Just as she turned toward camp, she heard the Colonel calling her on the radio.

"Carter, Where are you? Dinner is almost ready. Did you find any wine?" Sam could hear the smirk in his voice with the last question.

"I'm on my way back, Sir. Sorry, I didn't find any wine."

"Not half as sorry as I am, Carter."

Jack was finishing steaming the dinner as Carter walked back in to camp. He looked up just then and met her eyes. He gave her a smile as he said, "I hope you're hungry. The fish were really biting today. We have plenty."

She returned the smile and said, "I am hungry after that little walk, Sir. Dinner smells wonderful. I'm sure it will be great, even without the wine."

"Indeed, it will, Major Carter," said Teal'c as he came up behind her.

"See, Sir, Teal'c doesn't miss the wine either."

"What does he know, Carter? Teal'c never drinks anything alcoholic. Besides it wasn't just the wine I was wanting."

Uhoh. He didn't mean to say that aloud. Fortunately, for him, the leaves that he was using to steam the fish began to smoke.

"O'Neill, our dinner is in danger of being consumed by fire," Teal'c warned.

"What? Oh damn!" Jack hurried over to the fire and pulled the leaves out with his fingers. "OUCH! That hurt." He slipped the injured fingers in his mouth to soothe the pain.

Carter reacted quickly. "Here let me see, Sir." She reached for his hands and with a giggle, said, "I can kiss it, and make it better."

Her tender touch and words, even though spoken in jest, affected Jack more than it should have. In fact, parts of his body were reacting quite vigorously. It wasn't his fingers he was thinking of her kissing. He was going to embarrass himself if he did not get his body under control.

"That's all right, Carter," he mumbled as he jerked his had away. He turned back to the fish and managed to get the dinner safely removed from the fire. At the same time, he adjusted his BDU pants so they were a little more comfortable.

When he was able to turn around again, Jack saw that Carter was sitting down by the fire with her eyes cast down. When he handed her some of the fish, she took it without a word. Jack was sure she had noticed his "problem" and was uncomfortable. He was sorry he had put her in that position. He had been enjoying their good-natured kidding and had taken it too far. Even so, for right now, he decided it was best to ignore the situation.

Jack passed some fish to Teal'c and took some for himself. They both sat down around the fire as Carter had done. The meal passed quietly, since neither Sam nor Jack was inclined to speak of their feelings. Teal'c being naturally taciturn did not feel obliged to break the silence.

Jack was uncomfortable with the silence. There were many times that they sat quietly, feeling no need for conversation. This was not one of those times. The silence was getting awkward, but he had no clue how to improve the situation. He was thinking how inappropriate his feelings for Sam were. As he finished his meal, he decided to get away for a little while.

"I think I'll stretch my legs for a while," he said getting up. "Carter, you have first watch again. I'll relieve you and then Teal'c.

"Yes, Sir," She responded quietly. "Be careful, Sir. Remember it gets dark suddenly here."

"Taking my flashlight, Carter," Jack responded snippily as he walked off.

Sam looked up and saw Teal'c looking at both of them. He just raised his eyebrow and inclined his head slightly.

"I believe it's time for me to retire and begin kel'no'reem, Major Carter."

"Goodnight, Teal'c. I'll see you in the morning."

Sam built up the fire and brewed more coffee. She leaned back against a log as she sipped the coffee. She would never understand the Colonel. He'd been flirting with her earlier. Conversely, when she turned the tables and initiated the flirting, he jerked his hand away as if he didn't want her touching him. It didn't make sense. It hurt when he turned away from her so abruptly.

Sam reached into her pocket, withdrew the zipper tab, and started to turn it over repeatedly in her hand. She'd begun doing that when she was mulling things over in her mind. The picture of him turning around so abruptly was fixed in her mind and she was replaying it. After he turned from her, he seemed to be adjusting his BDU pants before reaching for the fish. It was almost as if was having an erection. Sam's eyes widened. Could what she said have affected him that much? She didn't think that her words would have an effect on him so quickly and strongly.

Jack stood by the lake, casually skipping stones across its smooth surface. His reaction to Carter's off-the-cuff remark about kissing his fingers took him by surprise. He was taken completely off guard by his erection. He was attracted to Carter but he thought it had just been innocent flirting. Maybe it was time to admit that he cared for her more than he should. The harmless flirtation had brought about stronger feelings—at least on his part.

Carter had seemed to respond to his flirtatious remarks. Even, occasionally, she would make few of her own. Sometimes, though, she seemed to pull back. He thought back to the last few months. It had become awkward between them after the meteor storm stranded him on Edora. After his undercover stint to root out the rogue NID personnel stealing alien technology, it became worse. As much as he hated to talk about his feelings, he had stopped by Carter's house after Edora to explain his apparent lack of appreciation for her hard work.

When he couldn't find the right words to say, he had looked at her and simply said, "C'mere." She had hesitated at first, but then looked into his eyes and had snuggled in his arms just before falling asleep. He realized she was asleep so he placed a soft kiss in her hair, and had gently laid her down on the sofa. He found a blanket to cover her, picked up his beer bottle, and put it in the recycle bin. He took one more look at her, sleeping so peacefully, and couldn't resist one last soft kiss to her hair. Then he left, locking the door behind him. To his surprise, the next day she acted as if nothing had happened.

A similar event occurred during the undercover incident. He had taken great care to sneak out of his house and into hers while the NID had been watching his house. He still remembered the look on her face as he uttered those sarcastic words and felt a need to apologize for his earlier comments to her. He explained all the whys and wherefores of the mission and she had accepted his apology. As he was about to leave, she asked him to stay for a little while. He knew he shouldn't, but he really wanted to stay. So he got in bed with her—well not _in_ bed but _on_ the bed. He held her until she fell asleep. That had required all the control he could muster at the time.

Yet again, the next day, it was as if nothing had happened. If anything, she became more distant. Maybe she was upset at the inappropriateness of his actions. She could have reported him, especially for the last incident. However, she would have realized that would have resulted in the breakup of SG1 and she wouldn't have wanted that. At least, he hoped she wouldn't have.

He went to see her before leaving on vacation, and invited her to go fishing with him at his cabin. He hadn't meant to invite her, but the words were out of his mouth before he knew it. He tried to backtrack some and explain it as two co-workers, friends, even. She looked as if she might say yes. However, something came over her face and she started some technobabble about studying the decay rates of Naquadah.

The squawk of the radio drew him out of his ruminating.

"Sir." It was Carter. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Carter, why do you ask?"

"Uh, Sir, you've been gone for quite a while. I was getting concerned," she explained.

Jack looked at his watch in shock. He was aware it had gotten dark some time ago but had not realized that it was so late. It was past time for him to relieve Carter.

"Carter, I'm sorry. Time just got away from me. I'll be right there to relieve you."

"It's okay, Sir. I was concerned when you didn't return in time for your watch."

"Understood, Carter. On my way now," he responded.

He made his way back to the campsite quickly. He saw Carter pacing before the fire. He couldn't help noticing her hair reflecting the light of the campfire. He paused and just watched her for a minute. He saw that she was fiddling with something in her hands. He grinned - looks like she was picking up some of his habits. He never could keep his hands still.

While Sam was waiting for Colonel O'Neill to return, she continued to play with the zipper tab. She hoped that the awkwardness at dinner would have dissipated when he returned. She looked up just then and saw Colonel O'Neill walking back into camp.

He began to apologize. "Carter, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I'm usually more aware of the time."

"No problem, Sir. I'm just glad you are okay."

"Whatcha got there, Carter?" He motioned toward her hands.

She quickly closed her hand and said, "Uh, nothing, Sir." She was embarrassed to be caught playing with the tab.

"It looks as if you've picked up some of my bad habits. Usually it's me whose hands are fiddling with something. Let me see, Carter."

Slowly, she opened her hand for him to see. "It's just a zipper tab."

He took it from her and examined it. "It looks like the ones on my jacket. Have I lost another one?"

"Another one?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah, I had to have this one replaced." He pointed to a new tab on the front of his jacket. "I lost it sometime around the last time I was at your house.

Sam almost choked on the sip of coffee she was taking. "You were at my house? When?"

"Carter, what's going on? I've been to your house twice in the last six months or so. Right after I returned from Edora and again during the undercover mission. Don't tell me you've forgotten!"

Sam was stunned. Her legs would no longer support her. She sat down quickly and mumbled, "So they weren't dreams after all."

"Dreams? What are you talking about, Carter?" Colonel O'Neill sat down beside her.

"After we got you back from Edora, I had a dream about you. At least I thought it was a dream."

"Oh? I'm intrigued. Tell me more."

"I was so exhausted that I fell asleep on the couch. I must have been dreaming because I woke up when I fell off the couch," she explained.

"What caused you to fall off the couch?"

Sam could feel her face begin to redden as she remembered the dream. "I was dreaming of us," she said. She barely spoke that last word.

"Us? As in you and me?" The Colonel gestured with his hand to both of them.

Sam bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"What were we doing that caused you to fall off the couch?"

Sam looked up at him and blushed even more.

"Oh, that." He understood what she wasn't saying. "But we didn't do…that."

Sam breathed a sigh. She wasn't sure whether it was from relief or regret. "But you were there earlier, right?"

"Yes, after Dr. Fraiser and Daniel both impressed on me how hard you had worked to achieve the miracle that brought me home, I decided you needed to know that I did appreciate it. So I came by to tell you."

"That part I remember. I just wasn't sure where reality ended and the dream began. I convinced myself it was all part of the dream. Yet, I never had a satisfactory explanation for the Guinness bottle in my recycle bin."

"Yes, I placed it there right before I left and locked up."

Sam was relieved. "That explains a lot. It was a puzzle I couldn't solve and it was driving me crazy."

Jack laughed. "That's why you never said anything about it later. You thought it was all a dream. In that case, do you remember my second visit?"

"Sort of"

"Sort of?" he repeated.

"Again, I'm not sure what is fact and what's a dream.

"C'mere," he said. He motioned with his head. "Why don't you tell me what you think is fact."

As Sam moved closer, Jack put his arm around her shoulders and drew her into his body. She took a moment to get her thoughts in order. The closeness of their bodies was not helping her think at the moment.

Finally, she began to tell him what she remembered. He had come over to tell her about the covert mission and to apologize for being such an ass to her earlier. She couldn't tell anyone about his mission; not even Daniel. She laughed remembering he had said 'especially not Daniel'.

Jack kept nodding to indicate she had remembered correctly. "Anything else?" He asked with a slight smirk.

Sam's face began to color again. "Uh, Sir, Did you get in bed with me then?"

"Carter, do you think calling me Sir is appropriate when asking a question like that?" Jack couldn't help teasing her.

"Sir, uh …" Sam was stammering now.

"At ease, Carter. I'm teasing you. But is answer to your question - yes."

At this, Sam's eyes grew to the size of saucers.

Jack continued. "Although, technically, I was not _in_ your bed, but _on_ your bed."

"I don't understand"

The Colonel had a combination smirk and smile on his face. Sam said, "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I am." There was that smirk again. "But, to put your mind at ease, I was lying on top of the bed covers and held you until you went to sleep."

"Oh," Sam breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not that I didn't want to do more. Carter. However, under the circumstances…"

He faded off remembering just what it was he wanted to do.

 _He wanted to do much more than just hold her. He wanted to get in her bed not just on it. He wanted to look into those beautiful blue eyes and then kiss her stupid. He grinned thinking about that. He wouldn't stop there. He wanted to touch her. Get to know her body with his hands. Then he would gently remove her pajamas and pull her close to him. By this time, his clothes would be gone also and he could feel every inch of her body against his. She would be moaning his name or his honorific as he kissed those perfect breasts. His hands would be moving down her body toward…. Sir, sir,_ "SIR!" Carter nudged him. "Are you okay?"

"Huh, what? Oh yeah, I'm ok. Just daydreaming for a moment there. What were you saying?" Jack shook his head to clear it.

"I was saying that I understood, Sir.

"Do you really, Carter?"

"Yes sir, the frat regs state that -"

"I don't give a flaming fruit loop what the frat regs say," Jack interrupted as he looked into her eyes. "Do you understand how I feel about….?" He couldn't finish the sentence.

Sam was gazing into those chocolaty brown eyes and she knew exactly what he was trying to say. "Yes Sir, I do. Because I have those same feelings."

"You do?" Jack was incredulous. "For me?"

"Of course, for you. Whom did you think? Homer?" She giggled. However, the laugh faded away with her next comment. "But we can't act on those feelings."

"Maybe not. But right here, right now, on beautiful P3X-234 I want to do this." He reached over with his free hand, tilted her chin, and looked fully into her gorgeous blue eyes. He ran his fingers over her lips, leaned in, and gently kissed her. Sam returned the kiss, and with more intensity than he had used. She put both arms around him and pulled him in for a longer kiss.

Before he could pull away, Sam stepped up the passion, running her tongue over his lips. He opened his mouth, allowed her tongue in, and gave himself fully to the kiss. When they finally came up for air, their eyes locked in stunned disbelief.

"Sir," Carter began.

"Still calling me Sir after a kiss like that?" he interrupted.

Sam continued, "I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Jack drew her back to him and pulled her head down to lie against his shoulder. "Nothing to apologize for. I was carried away as well."

They sat in comfortable silence, each enjoying the closeness. No more words were necessary. They were communicating with tender looks and touches. They didn't realize how long they sat like that until they heard someone clearing their throat. Jumping apart, they saw Teal'c standing before the fire.

"O'Neill, I believe the time has come for me to commence my watch rotation," was his only remark. But he did slightly incline his head.

"Oh, is it that time already?" Jack asked. "Time flies when you're having fun"

"Indeed," intoned Teal'c. "I hadn't realized that you found the watch rotation so entertaining."

"Yeah, well, you'd be surprised, Big Guy, what I find entertaining. Oy, I think I'd better close my mouth now before I get in any deeper," Jack said with slight embarrassment.

Uh, I think I'll turn in now and get a few hours sleep," Sam added. She hurriedly stood up and started laying out her sleeping bag.

"Good idea, Carter. Get some rest. I'm a little warm so I'm going to move my sleeping bag away from the fire." He thought it would be too hard-er- too difficult to sleep close to Carter after their talk this evening.

"Indeed, O'Neill, you and Major Carter both seem a little flushed. You must have been sitting too near to the fire." Teal'c said as he raised his eyebrow.

"Come on, Teal'c, just say what you mean." Jack sighed resignedly.

"I believe I did, O'Neill"

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Jack gave in.

"I know not of what you speak," said Teal'c. However, this time there was a slight smile on his face.

Jack looked back at Sam, who was watching this byplay, and they both grinned.

"Good night, Sir"

"Good night, Carter.

"Good night Teal'c," they said in unison and retired to their separate sleeping bags.

Jack spent the rest of the time on P3X-234 fishing, Sam explored the area, and Teal'c watched them both. He noticed a new peace and understanding between them.

Finally, after over a week, they were able to get a lock when they dialed home. Jack and Teal'c hurried to get their gear together while Sam sent their IDC through. Receiving permission to proceed, they started toward the Stargate.

Jack stopped Sam and put his arms on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes as he asked, "Are we okay, Carter?"

Yes Sir," she replied with a twinkle in her eye. "Whatever happens on P3X-234…."

"…stays on P3X-234." He finished with a lopsided smile.

"Indeed" agreed Teal'c.

And with that, the three of them stepped through the Stargate.

A/N I want to thank KTSmiles for her beta skills.

Also for those interested in the LillaSyster bath products mentioned in this story, the name has changed to Once Upon A Bath. They still have the same wonderful fragrances and products- just new names and designs.


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